The top hidden loop is in the mechanical room. There is a door, I just didn't put it in the drawing. I plan on dealing with that issue one of two ways, or perhaps both-- I am going to take the doors (might change them to a different type) and cut them in half horizontally, like french doors, so access is possible underneath the layout-- which at lowest height of 50-inches (and more like 52) it won't be that bad. And then I might put a door in on the opposite side and remove the problem altogether. I will also have to make sure that the portion of the layout that is in front of the door _could_ be removed (though at what difficulty..?) in case of dire need to access the mechanical room to swap out equipment or some such.
The other loop at the opposite end is actually in a hidden room also, a closet under the stairs. I just didn't put the stairs or the wall beside it in the drawing.
The staging behind the mechanical room is in another closet, a big cedar closet. I've been thinking about making an access into the mechanical room for that also so I could more conveniently extend and use staging tracks into the mechanical room itself. Otherwise the staging tracks are limited to about 9 feet.
The staging out in the big open area (top right) is in the open. I will probably lightly scenic it, enough to look like earth and grass. And will probably enclose it with wood framing and glass doors so it can operate as a display case when its not busy being a staging yard. There is another similar wall, though not as long, by the steps-- I'll probably do something similar there too.
I have finally decided on a route-- follow this link to the new trains.com post containing the details: http://cs.trains.com/forums/1489757/ShowPost.aspx
This is the full-size of the image (I put it up in a different place) and what you should be able to get from the Google/Picasa site by using the "download" button...
Full-Size Image Hosted Elsewhere: http://www.wizard.org/ModelRR/Layout_Plan_20080701.jpg
Same Image Hosted on Google/Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bratwizard/CurrentModelRailroadLayoutSpace/photo#5218038336692584626
When you go to the Google/Picasa site-- isn't there a "Download" button along the middle-right-side? Maybe its just there when I'm editing?? Since I always only see it from the "My Account" point-of-view, perhaps its different when someone else looks at it-- what do you see?
Anyway, regarding your comments about the passenger terminal-- it is my goal to separate freight and passenger operations as much as possible.
Also, since I originally posted that progress image, an exciting (for me) new development occurred-- my wife-- er, I mean "the commission"-- has determined that it would be suitable to remove the wall separating the two spaces so that gives me a lot more flexibility in laying out stuff in that space. Still am constrained to a shelf layout-- but that gives me three long stretches where I only have one or so now.
I can;t blow it up on my end either. And by that, Photoshop can adjust resolution, but it's taking a blurry image to start with, so we end with a blurry image. The text is shot.
That said, Do as much as possible to SEPERATE the yard and passenger terminal. It's a nightmare, having done it, trying to shuffle Passenger trains AND Freight trains. a terminal really needs it;s own set of arrival, breakdown, and depatrure tracks and room to maneuver withou tinterfereing with the freight switcher.
-Morgan
Yes, broad curves are my goal. I spent a large part of the evening last night seeking out small radius curves and doing what I could to tease them out a bit. Most of the curves are at least 32-36 inches and many are 40-60 inches. There are some I'll either have to do some more adjusting or else figure out a way to hide them so they don't look as bad.
Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
John
It is an extremely high-resolution image, around 3500x2500. You'll have to download it to see it full size, or else use netscape/firefox or something that is able to expand the image.
Most of the curves on the layout are at least 32-36 inches or so and many are even broader than that at around 40-60 inches, though its true there may be some tighter. None of that is absolutely set in stone yet. A large part of it will have to do with how much of the room I take up elsewhere-- and for the tight curves on the mainline, I may just make them hidden and solve the issue that way. The tightest curves are in the yard, and there may also be some in the switching area. I haven't really looked at those yet, I just stuck that in there to give me some ideas about what it might look like. I have to do a lot more work on that area. There will also be other switching areas. What is there now is basically my concept for mainline run and where things will be generally located and whatnot.
Re: shelving brackets-- do you mean of the sort that you can pick up in home depot? Dual slotted pilasters?
Thank you very much for taking a look. I'm very happy to have some feedback and other eyeballs looking over my shoulder!
I have to agree with David on what he said.
About curves. If the 24" is on the main than that is the limit as David says. It doesn't matter that the rest is of the layout is broader. You will experience problems with larger equipment on those spots. I know that it is tempting to lessen the radius at some points but that really ends up being a problem in the end. At the end of my peninsula for example I kept the 36" minimum by narrowing the benchwork on the wall shelf part of the layout.
Magnus
Latest update / progress on my layout:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bratwizard/CurrentModelRailroadLayoutSpace/photo#5221647167452784562
See the previous image (in the album) for the text & comments (too late tonight to do it, going to bed :)
Got a good start on laying out the yard. What's left to do is to convert the top half of the ladder into curved turnouts. Yard designed to handle through large trains (hauling coal) arriving or departing, and general freight (scheduled locals & peddlers) originating at the yard. There will also be an engine terminal/servicing facility and passenger facilities on the right side across from the yard.
The switching area, in the room behind the yard, is another town, and the track plan in that area is just a mock-up to give me some ideas of what could go there. Suggestions welcome.
Generally I think I have the mainline more or less the way I think it should go-- comments welcome on that too. My goal is to run it as a point-to-point layout, but I have loops available for continuous running / railfanning.
I have been tweaking the mainline a bit going for the broadest curves I can get. I haven't established an "official" minimum but so far nothing is less than 24-inches and most stuff is 32-40-inches and the best curves are 50-70-inches.
Now that I have a pretty good idea of where track will be, I can start working on designing the benchwork. I'm thinking of a hybrid benchwork/subroadbed using a wooden shelf construction, lightweight wooden splines for the mainline trackage. The yard will be laid out on 2-inch pink foam, and all of the secondary trackage will be laid out on 2-inch pink foam. The scenery will be a combination of pink foam construction and some sort of plaster hard-shell.
I have a specific question -- does anybody know the answer to this-- what is the strongest, yet smallest profile shelf-benchwork I can reasonably get away with. I'd like to have rigidity and strength (though I'm not going to climb on the thing) and yet really need to keep it as low-profile as possible (bottom of benchwork to top of benchwork). I've been reading Lynn Wescott's book on benchwork and it gives good information for building heavy-duty benchwork. Is there something intermediate that would work well? I'm planning on doing more traditional benchwork (wooden l-girders, etc) in the main area under the yard, but everything else I'd like to do in a lighter-weight fashion, but don't want to sacrifice strength and stability anymore than I have to (and I _really_ don't want to see my locos taking any shortcuts toward the floor...)